MONROE - Rain thwarted the Monroe Doubles Invitational on Saturday, but several players for the Cheesemakers won their first matches of the season before the tournament was canceled after its third rain delay.
Monroe coach Brad Saugstad said he was excited about the strides and progress the Cheesemakers have made in a short amount of time. Each one of Monroe's doubles flights won at least one match.
"I felt the girls looked more comfortable on the court, were more aggressive and seemed more upbeat then our matches at East Troy," Saugstad said in an email.
Monroe's No. 1 doubles team of juniors Hallie Signer and Ashley Placek won two matches and were set to play Beaver Dam in the championship before the invite was canceled. Signer and Placek defeated Delavan-Darien juniors Angeles Gomez and Ybeth Gloria 6-0, 6-2. The Cheesemakers' No. 1 doubles tandem then beat Freeport sophomore Jasmine Bigelow and senior Cassie Torrisi 6-3, 6-1.
"These two solid wins," Saugstad said. "They hit some smart lobs, put away quite a few balls at the net and really closed on the net well. These two will only get better as they gain more experience together."
The Cheesemakers' No. 1A doubles team of freshman Grace Tostrud and junior Maggie Setterstrom defeated Delavan-Darien's Paulina Cruz and Laura Farley 6-0, 6-0. Beaver Dam's Morgan Nelson and Abby Kiesow defeated Tostrud and Setterstrom 6-0, 6-0.
At No. 2 doubles, Monroe junior Parris Bunker and sophomore Sam Huizenga edged Baraboo's Jessica Nelson and Paula Wiethage in three sets 4-6, 6-1, 10-7.
"Sam and Parris have been together for four matches this year, and in three of those matches they have won the first set and lost the second," Saugstad said. "We'll need to find out what teams are doing to adjust in the second sets so Sam and Parris can turn some of these close losses into wins."
Monroe freshman Jensen Christensen and junior Skye Allen at No. 3 doubles beat Lake Mills' Sydney Lenartowski and Makayla Legel 6-4, 6-4. Christensen and Allen had just started their second match when the tournament was canceled.
"Judging from previous results, these two likely would have been playing for the championship," Saugstad said. At No. 4 doubles, the Cheesemakers' Kiara Miller and Liz Skatrud beat Lake Mills' Ashley Patrick and Sophia Thompson in a three set nail-biter 7-6 (1), 6-7 (4), 13-11.
"This match couldn't have been much closer, and I was very impressed with how Kiara and Liz kept their composure in a tight match," he said. "Judging by past results, Kiara and Liz likely would have ended up in the championship match as well."
Monroe hosts McFarland at 4:30 p.m. today. The match against the Spartans will begin a stretch of four matches in five days.
"This is going to give us a lot of valuable match experience," Saugstad said. "Hopefully, we can learn a lot from the match experiences this week and improve because our conference season is just around the corner."
Monroe coach Brad Saugstad said he was excited about the strides and progress the Cheesemakers have made in a short amount of time. Each one of Monroe's doubles flights won at least one match.
"I felt the girls looked more comfortable on the court, were more aggressive and seemed more upbeat then our matches at East Troy," Saugstad said in an email.
Monroe's No. 1 doubles team of juniors Hallie Signer and Ashley Placek won two matches and were set to play Beaver Dam in the championship before the invite was canceled. Signer and Placek defeated Delavan-Darien juniors Angeles Gomez and Ybeth Gloria 6-0, 6-2. The Cheesemakers' No. 1 doubles tandem then beat Freeport sophomore Jasmine Bigelow and senior Cassie Torrisi 6-3, 6-1.
"These two solid wins," Saugstad said. "They hit some smart lobs, put away quite a few balls at the net and really closed on the net well. These two will only get better as they gain more experience together."
The Cheesemakers' No. 1A doubles team of freshman Grace Tostrud and junior Maggie Setterstrom defeated Delavan-Darien's Paulina Cruz and Laura Farley 6-0, 6-0. Beaver Dam's Morgan Nelson and Abby Kiesow defeated Tostrud and Setterstrom 6-0, 6-0.
At No. 2 doubles, Monroe junior Parris Bunker and sophomore Sam Huizenga edged Baraboo's Jessica Nelson and Paula Wiethage in three sets 4-6, 6-1, 10-7.
"Sam and Parris have been together for four matches this year, and in three of those matches they have won the first set and lost the second," Saugstad said. "We'll need to find out what teams are doing to adjust in the second sets so Sam and Parris can turn some of these close losses into wins."
Monroe freshman Jensen Christensen and junior Skye Allen at No. 3 doubles beat Lake Mills' Sydney Lenartowski and Makayla Legel 6-4, 6-4. Christensen and Allen had just started their second match when the tournament was canceled.
"Judging from previous results, these two likely would have been playing for the championship," Saugstad said. At No. 4 doubles, the Cheesemakers' Kiara Miller and Liz Skatrud beat Lake Mills' Ashley Patrick and Sophia Thompson in a three set nail-biter 7-6 (1), 6-7 (4), 13-11.
"This match couldn't have been much closer, and I was very impressed with how Kiara and Liz kept their composure in a tight match," he said. "Judging by past results, Kiara and Liz likely would have ended up in the championship match as well."
Monroe hosts McFarland at 4:30 p.m. today. The match against the Spartans will begin a stretch of four matches in five days.
"This is going to give us a lot of valuable match experience," Saugstad said. "Hopefully, we can learn a lot from the match experiences this week and improve because our conference season is just around the corner."
